What is it?

HCV/HAPP is a federal program that helps very low income families, the elderly, and the disabled afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. 

It gives private landlords the opportunity to collect guaranteed income while providing much-needed affordable housing to those most in need in our community.

Benefits for Owners

Guaranteed rent payments from HAPP

Our HAPP portion is paid monthly via direct deposit. The tenant's portion of the total rent is based on their income.

Anytime they have an increase or decrease, we can adjust their portion and make up the difference.  This means they should not have a problem paying their portion each month.

Tenants who do not pay their portion to the landlord risk losing their housing assistance once we are made aware of it. Once we receive notification that a tenant hasn’t paid their rent, we will assist in pushing them to pay or risk losing their housing assistance through our office.  Many owners find this to be a huge benefit over non-program participants.

Incentives for renting to HAPP tenants over traditional tenants

• Participants on our program have incentive to pay their portion of rent (if any) on time, to keep the property clean, and to avoid actions that would cause them to be evicted. Lease Violations for certain types of criminal activity, damage to property, or failure to pay their portion of the rent are grounds for termination from the program.
  
  
• Potential owners and landlords will be helping a cost burdened and/or low-income individual or family obtain decent, safe and sanitary housing.
  
  
• Initial and annual property inspections are conducted by our office. We report any issues or deficiencies we note to owners as soon as possible.  HAPP suggests that owners inspect their properties often.
  
  
• Owners have the ability to use their own pre-screening criteria (credit, criminal, rental history, etc) and to charge a reasonable application screening fee to potential tenants as long as it falls within Fair Housing guidelines.
  
  
• The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits the denial of housing to a person based on the person’s membership in one or more of the classes protected under the Act. The protected classes are race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, and disability.
  
  NOTE: Owners and/or their agents are encouraged not to deny any applicant the right to rent housing based ONLY on the fact that the applicant is a participant in the HCV/HAPP program. This can be used as part of their screening criteria, but we encourage owners to not make this the sole reason for denying an application if the applicant passes all other screening criteria.
  
  
• Comparable rents and rent increases are based on the local market and HUD’s annual Fair Market Rent (FMR) schedule for the local area.  We run market comps at move in, and each time a landlord requests a rent increase.
  
  Owners can request an increase every 12 months.  We welcome and encourage this practice.  Annual rent increase approval is based on both market conditions and annual budgeting guidelines.

How can I participate?

• Set your own rent amount.  We are happy to help with market comps.

• Set your own security deposit. NC Tenant Landlord Law allows you to charge from zero up to a month and a half of what equals the initial total monthly rent amount.  This applies to owners who use a 12-month lease term that becomes a month-to-month lease after the initial 12 months.
  
  
• Set your own criteria for screening potential applicants as described above.
  
  
• Read the inspection guidelines.
  
  
• Save the owner or landlord documents such as W-9, Direct Deposit Authorization and other owner information we will need once you have selected your HCV tenant and are ready to proceed with the rental process. 

Benefits to the community

By providing housing to tenants who are on a limited income and do not have the resources to be able to afford the rising rents in our area, you are helping them to have a decent, safe and sanitary place to live.

When you say "yes" to a HCV participant this puts money into your pocket as the owner, and it puts additional dollars into the community. After all this is where the participant will live, shop, and work.

Have Questions? Give us a call.

Johnston County Housing Assistance Payments Program

Physical Address:
107 E Johnston St
Smithfield, NC 27577

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1515
Smithfield, NC 27577

Phone: 919-989-5070
Fax: 919-989-5421